2026 Contest Judges
Tom Harrington
Tom Harrington recently retired as the band director at Cypress Woods High School following a 33 year career. Prior to Cypress Woods he taught middle school band in both the Cypress Fairbanks and Spring ISDs. Mr. Harrington graduated from Westfield High School and earned his Music Education degree from The University of Houston. The Cypress Woods Wind Ensemble was named a 2022 TMEA 6A Honor Band State Finalist and was recognized as a National Winner in the 2021 National Wind Band Honors Competition. The marching band advanced to the UIL 6A State Marching Contest in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and were finalists in 2020. In 2021 the Cypress Woods Band was the silver medalist at the BOA North Houston Regional and the winner of the Lone Star Preview Marching Contest. During his six years at Cypress Woods 40 students earned a chair in one of the TMEA 6A All-State Ensembles and over 100 students earned the TMEA Area distinction. In 2012 he was named to the Cypress Fairbanks ISD Wall of Fame. He is a past president of The Texas Bandmasters Association and the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu. He has also served the profession as a TMEA Region and Area Band Division chairman. Mr. Harrington currently enjoys working as a consultant to several middle and high school band programs in the Houston area and is a frequent judge for both concert and marching band contests.
Jeff King
Jeff King is currently a band consultant, adjudicator, and clinician for students and directors across the United States. Starting in 2020, Mr. King served as an adjunct music professor for two years on the faculty of The University of Texas at Arlington. Prior to this appointment, Mr.King served as the Irving ISD director of fine arts for five years, where he oversaw all aspects of the fine arts programs. Prior to his administrative duties in Irving, Mr. King was a Texas band director for thirty-one years. Most of his teaching career was spent in Duncanville ISD, with twenty-six years’ experience, culminating as director of bands for his last five years. In 2008, Mr.King was co-conductor of the wind ensemble with Tom Shine, which was selected as the Texas5A (6A) high school state honor band. In 2019, Mr. King along with his Duncanville HS colleagues, were awarded the prestigious Exemplary High School Band Award given by the Texas Bandmasters Association (TBA). In July of 2024, Jeff was inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame. In 2025, the Texas Bandmasters Association awarded Mr. King the Meritorious Achievement Award.
Mr. King co-authored a band warm-up and technique book entitled Foundations for SuperiorPerformance (A.K.A. The Blue Book) and The Complete Instrument Reference Guide for BandDirectors. These texts are widely used throughout North America, Australia, and China. He has presented workshops in over thirty states as well as Canada. Some of his notable clinics include: The Midwest International Band and Orchestra Conference, National Association forMusic Educators, Texas Music Educators Association, and the Texas Bandmasters Association. In 2007, Mr. King was the chief adjudicator for the Melbourne Band Festival held in Melbourne, Australia. In the summers of 2011, 2019, 2024, Mr. King traveled to China, presenting clinics to band directors and students across the country. In July of 2025, Jeff had the pleasure of traveling to Australia for the third time, presenting clinics and workshops for Australian instrumental teachers. In February of 2026, Mr. King will be serving as the chief adjudicator for the Ontario Band Association (OBA) Provincial Band Festival held in Toronto, Canada.
From 2011-2018, Mr. King served on the Texas Bandmasters Association Board, proudly serving as TBA President in 2017.
Mr. King has music degrees from Southern Methodist University, (M.M. Trumpet Performance) studying trumpet with Thomas Booth and Baldwin-Wallace University (B.M.E), studying trumpet with James Darling and Mary Squire.
His professional affiliations include the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, National Association for Music Educators and the International Bandmasters’ Fraternity, Phi Beta Mu.
Throughout his life, Jeff has been extremely fortunate to have a wonderful and supportive wife.Leslie and Jeff have been happily married for forty-two years. Leslie and Jeff cherish their roles as G-Ma and G-Pa to their three above average grandchildren, Olivia, Ryan and Eva. Their daughter Lauren enjoys helping others improve their daily lives as an occupational therapist and their son-in-law David is an executive manager of analytics of supply chain operations for a major company.
Vic Flowers
Victor Flowers is an honor graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. After graduation he taught for 12 years in the Hattiesburg Public Schools, including four years of middle school and eight years as Hattiesburg High School Head Band Director and Coordinator of Instrumental Music. During his time in Mississippi, his bands won consistent superior ratings at concert and marching festivals in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. In 1990, Mr. Flowers was elected by his peers to serve as president of the Mississippi BandMasters Association. After his time in Mississippi, Mr. Flowers moved to Houston, Texas, and taught at Dueitt Middle School and Bailey Middle School in the Spring Independent School District. Bands under his direction won regional, state, and national awards, including 2nd Runner-up in the Texas State Honor Band Competition, National Winner in the Foundation for Music Education’s Mark of Excellence National Wind Band Competition, and a percussion ensemble performance at the prestigious Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago, Illinois. He has served as guest conductor at band clinics in Texas and Mississippi, and as an adjudicator for music competitions. For two years Mr. Flowers served as Advisory to Middle School Bands for Spring ISD
After teaching 39 years in the US, Mr. Flowers pursued a career in international education. Mr. Flowers taught Band and Elementary Music at Asia Pacific International School in Seoul, Korea for two years, and for three years as Middle School Band Director at International School Manila in the Philippines.
During retirement Mr. Flowers works as a consultant for bands in the Houston area. He enjoys photography, composition, and travel. Among Mr. Flowers’ greatest joys is seeing his former students succeed as music educators in Texas, Mississippi, and Colorado.
Todd Clearwater
Todd Clearwater has been a band director for 38 years. He retired from the classroom in 2022 after 34 years, 30 of them in the Klein Independent School District in northwest Houston. During his career he has taught concert band, beginning band, marching band, jazz band, orchestra, AP Music Theory, and IB Music. He has been the associate conductor of the full orchestra at Klein High school where he was integrally involved with winning three TMEA Honor Full Orchestra titles, and also at Klein Oak High School where the full orchestra performed at The Midwest Clinic in 2014. Mr. Clearwater has conducted three additional times at Midwest with two feeder program middle school bands and a middle school orchestra which he mentors.
Mr. Clearwater became the head band director at Klein Oak High School in 2005. He grew the program from 145 students to well over 300. All levels of band were successful at Klein Oak with four concert bands regularly earning first division ratings at UIL evaluations. In 2016, the Klein Oak Wind Ensemble performed at the Music for All National Concert Band Festival. In 2021 the band was a Commended Winner in the National Wind Band Honors and in 2022 was a National Winner.
Mr. Clearwater has been very active in music education leadership roles in Texas. He served as the TMEA Region 9 Band Division Chairman for eight years and as the TMEA Area F chairman for both All-State auditions and the Honor Band process for six. He has served multiple terms on the TMEA / UIL Music Advisory Committee and served as the chairman of the 5A All-State auditions in 2019. He has served on the Board of Directors for Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Mu, ending with his term as president for 2016 - 2018.
Currently, in his “retirement”, Mr. Clearwater supports many young teachers and their programs in the Houston area by serving as a clinician and individual mentor. He also acts as a University Supervisor for music education students from the University of Houston during their student teaching experience. He judges both UIL Marching Band contests and Concert & Sightreading Evaluations, as well as some local festivals. Finally, he is a co-conductor of the Cypress Winds Community Band. The Cypress Winds is composed entirely of music education professionals from greater northwest Houston. It is the mission of the group to provide a place for teachers at all levels to continue to develop as musicians and teachers, to interact as colleagues, and to promote wind band to the general public through concerts.
Sharon Kalisek
Sharon Kalisek has taught junior high band in the Houston area for the past thirty-seven years. She has taught in the Spring School District for fourteen years at Wells and Bammel Middle Schools, six years as Director of Bands at York Junior High in the Conroe Independent School District and eleven years as the Director of Bands at Krimmel Intermediate in Klein ISD. FMrs. Kalisek has just completed her sixth year teaching grade 5-12 band at The John Cooper School, an independent, non- sectarian college preparatory school. During her years as a public school band director, Mrs. Kalisek’s bands have earned consistent Sweepstakes Awards at UIL Concert and Sightreading Contests and have received numerous Best in Class Awards at various band festivals. In 2009, the Krimmel Band earned an invitation to The Midwest Clinic. The Krimmel Band was one of three junior high bands to be selected from the United States. Under her direction, the Krimmel Band was also selected to perform at The Music for All National Concert Band Festival.
Mrs. Kalisek received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Houston where she was a student of Eddie Green. In 2005 and 2007, Mrs. Kalisek was nominated for Who’s Who in America’s Teachers, and in 2014, she was named Teacher of the Year by her peers at Krimmel Intermediate. Mrs. Kalisek is an active adjudicator and clinician in Texas and has presented clinics at the Texas Bandmasters Clinic and Convention, The Midwest Clinic and The Music for All Summer Symposium. Mrs. Kalisek served on The University Interscholastic League’s Prescribed Music List Committee from 2011-2014, and was the chair of the committee in 2014. Mrs. Kalisek has also served as a mentor teacher for approximately 20 student teachers from universities in Texas. She is a member of the Texas Bandmaster’s Association, Texas Music Educator’s Association, Texas Music Adjudicator’s Association and Phi Beta Mu an honorary music fraternity.